Resettable thermal pressure relief device

ABSTRACT

A resettable thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) is disclosed. The TPRD includes a piston, a housing adapted to receive the piston and allow movement between an open and a closed position. The housing includes an actuator having a temperature sensitive material disposed therein. The temperature sensitive material volumetrically expands, increasing a length of the actuator and forcing a lever from a first position to a second position. The piston is held in the closed position by the lever in the first position. When the lever moves to the second position, the piston is allowed to move to the open position, allowing a fluid to flow through the TPRD from a high pressure vessel in communication therewith.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/116,293 filed on May 26, 2011, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/116,321 filed on May 7, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No.7,971,798. The entire disclosures of the above applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates to a thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) and,more particularly, to a resettable TPRD for a high pressure vessel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The fuel cell has been proposed as a clean, efficient andenvironmentally responsible power source for various applications. Aplurality of fuel cells may be arranged to form a fuel cell stackcapable of powering an electric vehicle. One example of the fuel cell isa Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. In the PEM fuel cell,hydrogen is supplied as a fuel to an anode and oxygen is supplied as anoxidant to a cathode. A common technique for storing hydrogen is in alightweight, high pressure vessel resistant to puncture.

The typical high pressure vessel includes a thermal pressure reliefdevice (TPRD). The TPRD is in fluid communication with the interior ofthe vessel and is configured to vent the hydrogen in the vessel whenactuated, for example, when at least one of a predetermined temperatureand a predetermined internal pressure is attained. The predeterminedtemperature and internal pressure may be attained during an operation ofthe vessel.

The typical TPRD is “one way”, meaning that the device may only beoperated once. Following such operation, the TPRD is destroyed and mustbe replaced. However, it is desirable to employ quality control testingand inspection to verify that the TPRD is operating properly. It ispresently not possible to test a TPRD, reset the TPRD, and subsequentlyinstall the tested TPRD in a high pressure vessel.

Another known pressure relief device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,788,212, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thepressure relief device has a thermally actuated trigger mechanism thatinterferes with a movement of a valve closure element. The triggermechanism is elongated and shortens when heated to a set temperature,eliminating the interference with the closure element and actuating thepressure relief device.

There is a continuing need for a TPRD which can be tested, reset andsubsequently installed in a high pressure vessel for use with a fuelcell stack. Desirably, the TPRD may be manually reset following thetesting, improve security of a high pressure vessel, and have amanufacturing cost that does not substantially exceed the cost ofexisting pressure relief devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In concordance with the instant disclosure, a TPRD that can be tested,manually reset, and installed in a high pressure vessel, that improvesthe security of the high pressure vessel, and that has a manufacturingcost that does not substantially exceed the cost of existing pressurerelief devices, is surprisingly discovered.

In one embodiment, a resettable thermal pressure relief device (TPRD)includes a housing having a first aperture and a second aperture. Thehousing allows a fluid to flow therethrough, for example, from a highpressure vessel. The TPRD includes a piston slidably mounted in thehousing and movable between an open position and a closed position. Thepiston seals the second aperture when the piston is disposed in theclosed position. A lever is disposed in the housing and has a firstposition substantially above the piston which selectively militatesagainst the piston moving into the open position. An actuator having atemperature sensitive material is further included in the TPRD. Theactuator is adapted to expand volumetrically with an increase intemperature. The actuator facilitates a movement of the lever from afirst position to a second position when a desired temperature isattained. The piston is thereby allowed to move to the open position forthe fluid flow to occur.

In a further embodiment, the TPRD includes a lever spring adapted tobias the lever and selectively militate against a movement of the leverfrom the first position. The actuator is configured to move the leverfrom a first position to a second position when a desired temperature isattained to allow the piston to move to the open position.

In another embodiment, the TPRD includes a lever spring adapted to biasthe lever against the housing and selectively move the lever to thesecond position. The actuator facilitates a movement of the lever to thesecond position when a desired temperature is attained to allow thepiston to move to the open position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above, as well as other advantages of the present disclosure, willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description, particularly when considered in the light of thedrawings described hereafter.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a resettable TPRD,showing a piston in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the resettable TPRDillustrated in FIG. 1 and showing the piston in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 with a housing cap removed and showing a lever holding the pistonin the closed position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 with a housing cap removed and showing a released lever and thepiston in the open position;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, according to another embodiment with a housing cap removed andshowing a lever holding the piston in the closed position;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, according to another embodiment with a housing cap removed andshowing a released lever and the piston in the open position;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, according to a further embodiment with a housing cap removed andshowing a lever holding the piston in the closed position; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the resettable TPRD illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, according to a further embodiment with a housing cap removed andshowing a lever holding the piston in the closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description and appended drawings describe andillustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description anddrawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use theinvention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention inany manner.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a resettable thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) 2is shown including a housing 4. The housing 4 includes a first aperture6 and a second aperture 8. The first and second apertures 6, 8 areconfigured to allow a fluid 10 to flow through the housing 4. Forexample, the fluid 10 may flow from a high pressure vessel (not shown)in fluid communication with the second aperture 8 to the ambientatmosphere when the TPRD 2 is actuated as shown in FIG. 2.

The TPRD 2 has a piston 12 slidably disposed in the housing 4. A lever14 and an actuator 16 are also disposed in the housing 4. The piston 12is movable between an open position as shown in FIG. 1 and a closedposition as shown in FIG. 2. The piston 12 may have at least oneaperture formed therein for facilitating the flow of the fluid 10therethrough when the piston 12 is in the open position. When in theclosed position, the piston 12 seals the second aperture 8. The piston12 may include a sealing member 18 that forms a substantially fluidtight seal between the piston 12 and the housing 4 in the closedposition. As a nonlimiting example, the sealing member 18 is an O-ring.The sealing member 18 may be disposed on a surface of the housing 4forming the second aperture 8, for example. Another suitable sealingmember 18 may be employed as desired.

In one embodiment, the TPRD 2 includes a piston spring 20. The pistonspring 20 urges the piston 12 toward the open position. A skilledartisan should appreciate that other suitable means for moving thepiston 12 between the closed and open positions may be employed.

In the TPRD 2 of the present disclosure, the lever 14 may have a firstposition substantially above the piston 12. The first position militatesagainst the movement of the piston 12 into the open position. The lever14 is movable to a second position. The second position of the lever 14allows the piston 12 to move to the open position, for example, underforce from the piston spring 20. The piston 12 may thereby selectivelyfacilitate the fluid 10 from the high pressure vessel.

The movement of the lever 14 from the first position to the secondposition may be caused by, or be an indirect result of, a movement ofthe actuator 16. In a particularly illustrative embodiment, the actuator16 of the disclosure includes a temperature sensitive material. Thetemperature sensitive material is adapted to expand volumetrically withan increase in temperature. As a nonlimiting example, the temperaturesensitive material may one of expand linearly with temperature andexpand primarily within a defined temperature range. The temperaturesensitive material may be a wax, for example. Other suitable temperaturesensitive materials may also be selected. The housing 4 may be formedfrom a thermally conductive material adapted to transfer heat from theambient environment adjacent the TPRD 2 to the temperature sensitivematerial.

During an operation of the TPRD 2, the actuator 16 moves the lever 14from the first position to the second position when a desiredtemperature is attained. The desired temperature may be a temperaturethat causes an undesirable high internal pressure or a reducedstructural integrity of the high pressure vessel, for example. Asuitable desired temperature associated with the particular highpressure vessel may be selected by a skilled artisan as desired.

It should be understood that the flow of the fluid 10 enabled by themovement of the piston 12 from the closed position to the open positionis substantially non-destructive. The TPRD 2 may be reset for reusefollowing the fluid flow or discharge, for example, by a manual movingof the piston 12 to the closed position. As a nonlimiting example, thehousing 4 may include a housing body 22 removably coupled with a housingcap 24. The housing body 22 may be configured for threadable engagementwith the high pressure vessel, for example. The TPRD 2 may be placed influid communication with an on-tank valve (OTV), for example, as isknown in the art. The OTV may be mounted to the high pressure vessel andinclude additional components, such as an automatic shut-off valve, amanual valve, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor. Othersuitable means for placing the TRPD 2 in fluid communication with thehigh pressure vessel may also be employed.

The housing body 22 and the housing cap 24 may include threads thatfacilitate a threaded cooperation therebetween. The housing body 22 andthe housing cap 24 may be press fit together, if desired. It should beunderstood that regardless of the particular means for coupling thehousing body 22 and the housing cap 24, a substantially fluid tight sealis formed therebetween that militates against the fluid 10 from the TPRD2 other than through the first aperture 6.

The housing cap 24 may be removed from the housing body 22 following thefluid flow to facilitate an ease in manual resetting of the TPRD 2. In anonlimiting example, the first aperture 6 is disposed adjacent thepiston 12 to permit a manual resetting of the piston 12 following thefluid 10. The manual resetting of the TPRD may be performed by at leastone of physically pushing the piston 12 into the closed position, andblowing compressed air into the TPRD 2 at a sufficiently high flow rateto force the piston 12 into the closed position.

A skilled artisan should further appreciate that the TPRD 2 may includea discharge pipe (not shown) in fluid communication with the firstaperture. The discharge pipe is configured to direct the fluid 10 awayfrom the TPRD 2 upon activation of the TPRD 2. Illustratively, thedischarge pipe may be removable to facilitate the resetting of the TPRD2 after operation.

Various embodiments of the TPRD 2 according to the present disclosureare shown in FIGS. 3 to 8. Like or similar structure repeated betweenFIGS. 1 to 8 is shown with a prime (′) symbol, a double-prime (″)symbol, or a triple-prime symbol (′″) for purpose of clarity.

As shown in FIG. 3, the TPRD 2′ includes the lever 14′ in the firstposition. The lever 14′ is positioned above the piston 12′ in the firstposition. The lever 14′ militates against a movement of the piston 12′to the open position where the fluid 10′ from the high pressure vesseloccurs. As shown in FIG. 4, the lever 14′ is moved to the secondposition by the actuator 16′ to allow the piston 12′ to move to the openposition.

The TPRD 2′ includes a lever spring 300. The lever spring 300 may becoupled to one of the lever 14′ and the housing 4′. The lever spring 300biases the lever 14′ against the housing 4′, for example. The leverspring 300 militates against a movement of the lever 14′ from the firstposition to the second position. When the TPRD 2′ is actuated, the leverspring 300 is compressed by the actuator 16′ thereto until the actuator16′ sufficiently compresses the lever spring 300 to provide the lever14′ in the second position.

The TPRD 2′ may include a guide 302. As a nonlimiting example, the guide302 is coupled to at least one of the lever spring 300 and the housing4′. For example, the guide 302 may be coupled to the housing with one ormore fasteners 303. The guide 300 may facilitate a substantially linearmovement of the lever 14′ when the actuator 16′ moves the guide from thefirst position to the second position. As a nonlimiting example, thelever 14′ may include a cavity 304. The cavity 304 may be a groove or anotch formed in the lever 14′, for example. The cavity may receive atleast one of the guide 300 and the lever spring 300.

It should be appreciated that the actuator 16′ may be disposed withinthe housing 4′ in any location sufficient for the actuator 16′ to applya force to, and thereby move, the lever 14′. As a nonlimiting example,the actuator 16′ includes a tube 306. The tube 306 may have asubstantially arcuate shape, although other suitable shapes may also beemployed. In certain embodiments, the tube 306 is disposed adjacent aperipheral edge of the housing 4′. Being disposed adjacent theperipheral edge, the tube 306 may be optimally placed to facilitate atransfer of heat through the housing 4′ to the temperature sensitivematerial.

The tube 306 may be formed from an elastic material, for example. Thetemperature sensitive material may be disposed within the tube 306 andadapted to extend a length of the tube 306 in response to an increase intemperature. The tube 306 may thereby extend in length to move the lever14′ between the first and second positions.

In a further embodiment, the actuator 16′ includes a bellows 308. Itshould be appreciated than an actuator piston may be employed instead ofthe bellows 308, if desired. The bellows 308 may be disposed adjacentthe lever 14′. In one example, the bellows 308 is disposed between thetube 306 and the lever 14′. The bellows 308 may be in fluidcommunication with the tube 306 to receive the temperature sensitivematerial upon a volumetric increase thereof with an increase intemperature. The bellows 308 is thereby adapted to extend upon thevolumetric increase of the temperature sensitive material and move thelever 14′.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the TPRD 2″ includes the lever 14″disposed over the piston 12″ in the first position and pivoted to a sideof the piston 12″ in the second position. The second position of thelever 14″ allows the piston 12″ to move from the closed position to theopen position as described hereinabove.

The TPRD 2″ includes a hinge plate 500 coupled to the housing 4″, forexample, with one or more hinge plate fasteners 502. The lever 14″ ishingedly attached to the hinge plate 500. As a nonlimiting example, thelever 14″ may be hingedly attached to the hinge plate 500 with a hingepin 503. The hinge pin 503 may be disposed through the lever 14″ andcoupled to the hinge plate 500. The hinge plate 500 facilitates apivotal movement of the lever 14″ when the actuator 16′ is extends andcontacts the lever 14″. For example, the lever 14″ is partially disposedin a housing opening 504 that enables the actuator 16″ to contact thelever 14″ at a position that caused the pivotal movement of the lever14″. The hinge plate 500 further seals the housing opening 504 andmilitates against the fluid 10 exiting the TPRD 2″ during the operationthereof.

The TPRD 2″ includes the lever spring 300′ for biasing the lever 14″.The TPRD 2″ may include a biasing plate 506 between which the lever 14″and the lever spring 300′ may be disposed. The biasing plate 506 may beformed integrally with the housing 4″. In another embodiment, thebiasing plate 506 is coupled to the housing 4″ with at least one biasingplate fastener 508. Other suitable means for coupling the housingbiasing plate 506 with the housing 4″ may be employed.

In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the TPRD 2″ includes thelever spring 300″ configured to bias the lever 14′″ against the housing4″. The lever spring 300′″ selectively moves the lever 14′″ from thefirst position where the lever 14′″ militates against the movement ofthe piston 12″ from the closed position, to the second position wherethe piston 12′″ is allowed to move to the open position.

The actuator 16′″ facilitates the movement of the lever 14′″ from thefirst position to the second position. As a nonlimiting example, theactuator 16″ may have a collar 700 coupled thereto. The collar 700 isadapted to receive a portion 702 of the lever 14″ when caused to move bythe actuator 16′″ to a receiving position. Upon moving the collar 700 tothe receiving position, the lever spring 300″ causes the lever 14′″ tomove, such as, by sliding the lever portion 702 into the collar 700. Thelever 14′″ is thereby caused to move to a side of the piston 12′″ andallow the piston 12′″ to move to the open position.

In contrast to known thermal pressure relief devices that operateexclusively at high internal pressures, one of ordinary skill in the artshould understand that the TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ of the present disclosureis operable over a range of pressures experienced by typical highpressure vessels. As a nonlimiting example, the range may be betweenabout 10 bar and about 1000 bar, although a skilled artisan shouldappreciate that exact values are dependent on the design and other knownconstraints on the high pressure vessel. In particular, even atrelatively low internal pressures, the TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ operates andopens to allow the fluid 10 from the high pressure vessel. It shouldalso be understood that the piston spring 20 of the present disclosuremay be selected to open even at a desired minimum internal pressurewhere the internal pressure may not be sufficient in and of itself tomove the piston 12, 12′, 12″, 12′″ to the open position.

The TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ of the present disclosure allows end of linetesting of individual TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ units after assembly thereof.The tested TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ is then reset by forcing the piston 12,12′, 12″, 12′″ to the closed position. The lever 14, 14′, 14″, 14′″ isone of moved back to the first position by the force of the lever spring300′, 300″, 300′″, for example, and manually to lock the piston 12, 12′,12″, 12′″ in the closed position until the TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2″ is lateroperated. A confidence in security of high pressure vessels having theTPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ is thereby improved.

It is surprisingly found that the cost of the TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2″ is notsubstantially different from existing “one way” thermal pressure reliefdevices. The design of the TPRD 2, 2′, 2″, 2′″ can also be readilyadjusted to cooperate with a variety of high pressure vessel designs.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown forpurposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure, which is further described in thefollowing appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A resettable thermal pressure device (TPRD),comprising: a housing having a first aperture and a second apertureallowing a fluid to flow through the housing; a piston slidably mountedin the housing and movable between an open position and a closedposition, the piston sealing the second aperture when the piston is inthe closed position; a lever disposed in the housing and having a firstposition which selectively militates against the piston moving into theopen position; a lever spring adapted to bias the lever against thehousing and selectively move the lever to the second position; and anactuator having a temperature sensitive material adapted to expandvolumetrically with an increase in temperature, a collar coupled to theactuator, wherein the actuator facilitates a movement of the lever tothe second position when a desired temperature is attained to allow thepiston to move to the open position.
 2. The resettable TPRD according toclaim 1, wherein the actuator moves the collar to a receiving positionwhen a desired temperature is attained and the spring moves the leverfrom the first position to the second position, at least a portion ofthe lever received by the collar in the second position.
 3. Theresettable TPRD according to claim 1, wherein the first aperture isformed adjacent the piston and permits a manual resetting of the pistonto the closed position.
 4. The resettable TPRD according to claim 2,wherein the housing has a cap and a body, the housing cap removablyattached to the housing body to permit a manual resetting of the pistonto the closed position.
 5. The resettable TPRD according to claim 1,wherein the piston has an aperture formed therein facilitating fluidflow therethrough when the piston is in the open position.
 6. Theresettable TPRD according to claim 1, wherein the actuator includes abellows adjacent the collar, the bellows configured to extend upon thevolumetric increase of the temperature sensitive material and move thecollar to facilitate a movement of the lever to the second position. 7.The resettable TPRD according to claim 1, wherein the second aperture ofthe housing selectively receives the piston in the closed position, thepiston including a seal that forms a substantially fluid tight sealbetween the piston and the housing.
 8. The resettable TPRD according toclaim 1, wherein the housing is made of a thermally conductive materialconfigured to transfer heat to the temperature sensitive material. 9.The resettable TPRD according to claim 1, including a piston springconfigured to move the piston from the closed position to the openposition when the lever moves from the first position to the secondposition.
 10. A resettable thermal pressure device (TPRD), comprising: ahousing having a first aperture and a second aperture allowing a fluidto flow through the housing, the first aperture providing an access toreset the device after the fluid flow; a piston slidably mounted in thehousing and movable between an open position and a closed position, thepiston sealing the second aperture when the piston is in the closedposition; a lever disposed in the housing and having a first positionwhich selectively militates against the piston moving into the openposition; a lever spring adapted to bias the lever against the housingand selectively move the lever to the second position; and an actuatorhaving a temperature sensitive material adapted to expand volumetricallywith an increase in temperature, a collar coupled to the actuator,wherein the actuator facilitates a movement of the lever to the secondposition when a desired temperature is attained to allow the piston tomove to the open position.
 11. The resettable TPRD according to claim10, wherein the actuator moves the collar to a receiving position when adesired temperature is attained and the spring moves the lever from thefirst position to the second position, at least a portion of the leverreceived by the collar in the second position.
 12. The resettable TPRDaccording to claim 11, wherein the first aperture is formed adjacent thepiston and permits a manual resetting of the piston to the closedposition.
 13. The resettable TPRD according to claim 11, wherein thehousing has a cap and a body, the housing cap removably attached to thehousing body to permit a manual resetting of the piston to the closedposition.
 14. The resettable TPRD according to claim 11, wherein thepiston has an aperture formed therein facilitating fluid flowtherethrough when the piston is in the open position.
 15. The resettableTPRD according to claim 11, wherein the actuator includes a bellowsadjacent the collar, the bellows configured to extend upon thevolumetric increase of the temperature sensitive material and move thecollar to facilitate a movement of the lever to the second position. 16.The resettable TPRD according to claim 11, wherein the second apertureof the housing selectively receives the piston in the closed position,the piston including a seal that forms a substantially fluid tight sealbetween the piston and the housing.
 17. The resettable TPRD according toclaim 11, wherein the housing is made of a thermally conductive materialconfigured to transfer heat to the temperature sensitive material. 18.The resettable TPRD according to claim 11, including a piston springconfigured to move the piston from the closed position to the openposition when the lever moves from the first position to the secondposition.